While the manufacturers of the high-volume cars are taking the brunt of the economic fallout on the chin — think Japan's Big 3 of Toyota, Honda and Nissan, in addition to the much-publicized woes of America's Big 3 of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford — it has, so far, been an entirely different story for many of the luxury brands. The German manufacturers still remain profitable: Audi's share of the luxury market has actually increased so far this year; and, thanks to growing sales in China, Volkswagen may have just passed Toyota as the world's best-selling car manufacturer. And at the ultra-luxury end, sales may be slowing, but the companies that occupy these lofty heights are readying new product unabated. Seems the rich really are different than you and me — they can buy just about any car they darn well please.

Should secret agent 007 finally decide to settle down and have a family, the Aston Martin Rapide luxury sports sedan will fit him and his handsome brood nicely. Its true 4-seater accommodations (a transmission tunnel divides the rear seating area) can act as a bit of a barrier to minimize squabbling in back. And a 480-horsepower V-12 that can propel the Rapide to 180 mph should get the wee nippers to soccer — I mean "football" — practice in a hurry! ()

If German sports/luxury brand Audi decides to bring its rumored S7 model to the U.S., it would certainly change American's perceptions about 5-doors. Yes, what looks like a very upscale sedan is actually...a hatchback! And with output said to be nearly 400 horsepower coming from a supercharged V-8, the S7 might just put the "sport" back in sportwagon. ()

While its lusciously curvy F430 was an evolution of its predecessor, the 360 Modena, it looks like Ferrari may be taking on a more angular design aesthetic with its upcoming F450 sports car. Also forward-thinking are its rumored power sources, including a smaller engine that gains turbocharged power and — believe it or not — high-performance hybrid technology sourced from the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) system from Ferrari's Formula 1 race cars. ()

Who doesn't love the sultry sheet metal that adorns a Jaguar? The price tag, though, can certainly be a major turn-off. But with the British motoring icon rumored to be rolling out the XE (a mid-engine Jag the size of a Porsche Boxster but less expensive) in a few year's time, owning one of these stylish kitties might just be possible. ()

The heralded British brand's sleek new 4-door flagship — to be unveiled this summer in England — is rumored to be making a great leap forward from its stodgy old sheet metal to a stylish new design as chock-full of high-tech as it is luxury, including a quick-reacting active air suspension for a pillow-soft ride that can stiffen up in an instant when tackling a twisty road. Expect a lightweight, all-aluminum chassis. ()

When hearing the term "Italian exotic car," one can't help but think of Lamborghini and, more specifically, the Murciélago model. Meaning "bat" in, oddly enough, Spanish, that is precisely how this 600-plus-horsepower, V-12-motivated, high-dollar rarity goes out of you-know-where. But having launched the Murciélago way back in the 2002 model year, an all-new replacement — lighter, thanks to the use of carbon fiber and aluminum — will soon find its high-velocity way down the Italian Autostrada. ()

Haven't heard of McLaren? It is a racing team based in England that has won multiple championships in Formula 1 — including the 2008 championship with driver Lewis Hamilton, the first black F1 champ — that occasionally builds a low-volume, street-legal exotic car, including the remarkable, million-dollar McLaren F1, whose celebrity owners include music maven Wyclef Jean, Jay Leno (of course), and Ralph Lauren (he owns two). The carbon-bodied P11's main design elements are its gullwing doors. ()

It has a high-performance V-8 engine and a quick-shifting 7-speed transmission that the driver operates via steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters. And while this description could apply to the latest McLaren-Mercedes racing car in Formula 1, we're actually talking about one hot sports sedan coming soon from Mercedes-Benz. Enticing sporty bodywork and a stiffer, electronically controlled suspension will elevate M-B's best-selling 4-door to a whole new level. ()

The term "downsizing" generally has negative connotations. But in the case of the next-generation Boxster, less may really be more, as in two fewer cylinders — from a flat-6 arrangement to a rumored turbocharged 4-banger — but with more power and improved fuel economy and emissions. The car is also said to weigh less and — perhaps most impressive of all — is rumored to actually cost less! ()

A Porsche SUV — "Blasphemy!" you say? That was the outcry heard from many a Porschephile about six years ago when the legendary German brand synonymous with high-performance sporting machines rolled out its first sport-utility vehicle, the Porsche Cayenne...and the SUV quickly became the brand's best seller every year since. Now the company is about to launch into uncharted waters all over again with its first sports sedan, dubbed the Panamera. ()